Molson for Mintzberg

McGill professor of management studies Henry Mintzberg
Owen Egan

McGill's Cleghorn Professor of Management Studies, Henry Mintzberg, has done it again, this time as the recipient of the Canada Council's Molson Prize in the Social Sciences and Humanities for his outstanding contribution to the cultural and intellectual life of Canada.

"The Canada Council could not have chosen more wisely," said Principal Heather Munroe-Blum. "Henry challenges conventional wisdom. He gets us to think and he changes the way we think, and has done so for decades."

Known over the decades for his frankness and fresh perspectives, Mintzberg has authored and co-authored 14 books including Managers Not MBA's. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and an officer of both the Order of Canada and the Ordre national du Québec.

An early and long-time advocate of hands-on management experience rather than theory overkill, Mintzberg's philosophy runs alongside his oft-quoted quip, "Leadership, like swimming, cannot be learned by reading about it."

Two Molson Prizes, one in the arts and the other in the social sciences or humanities, are awarded annually and are worth $50,000 each. This year's arts recipient is Quebec novelist and poet Nicole Brossard.

—Catherine Paquette